Release of Reflex based workflows for VLT pipelines

A number of VLT pipelines deliver workflows compatible with Reflex 2.8.
You can browse the available pipelines here.

For the Fedora 20/21/22/23 64 bits platforms, we strongly recommend
using our RPM repositories to install the pipeline software including
workflows and Reflex. Instructions are given
here.

For the Apple OS X 10.9 platform or newer, there is now also an option to
install the pipeline software including workflows and Reflex using
MacPorts.
Instructions for this installation method are given
here.

The rest of the instructions on this page are for installing from source code
packages instead. Please note that the name of the command to lauch Reflex from
the terminal is now esoreflex.
This used to be reflex in older Reflex distributions.

Software prerequisites installation

The VLT workflows and Reflex depend on a number of packages that must be installed, namely gcc, gzip, make, Java 7, python, pyfits, wxPython, matplotlib and numpy. Below, we list three ways to install these dependencies.

Fedora 22 or later official repositories.
It is very easy to install all the dependencies using the official yum repositories.
Using root access execute the following commands in a terminal:
dnf upgrade dnf install python2-matplotlib python2-matplotlib-wx wxPython pyfits numpy java-openjdk
python2 gcc-c++ zlib-devel make gzip tar
If you also want to install Gasgano (not the default),
then install the following additional package:
dnf install java-1.8.0-openjdk-devel

CentOS 6.x official repositories.
It is very easy to install all the dependencies using the official yum repositories.
Using root access execute the following commands in a terminal:
yum upgrade yum install python-matplotlib python-matplotlib-wx wxPython pyfits numpy java-1.7.0-openjdk
python gcc-c++ zlib-devel make gzip tar
If the operating system is 64 bits:
update-alternatives --set java /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.7.0-openjdk.x86_64/bin/java
If it is 32 bits:
update-alternatives --set java /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.7.0-openjdk/bin/java

Ubuntu official repositories (version 15.10 or later) and Debian 8.
It is very easy to install all the dependencies using the official apt repositories.
Just execute in a terminal the following commands (you might be prompted for your password):
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib python-wxgtk3.0 python-pyfits python-numpy default-jre pkg-config
g++ zlib1g-dev make gzip tar
If you also want to install Gasgano (not the default),
then install the following additional package:
apt-get install default-jdk

Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 14.04 or Debian 7 official repositories.
It is very easy to install all the dependencies using the official apt repositories.
Just execute in a terminal the following commands (you might be prompted for your password):
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib python-wxgtk2.8 python-pyfits python-numpy openjdk-7-jre pkg-config
g++ zlib1g-dev make gzip tarupdate-java-alternatives --jre --set java-1.7.0-openjdk-amd64

Mac OS X MacPorts. If you have MacPorts installed, issue the following commands to
install the python modules and software needed to compile the pipelines:
sudo port selfupdate sudo port upgrade outdated sudo port install py27-matplotlib py27-wxpython-2.8 py27-numpy py27-pyfits pkgconfig autoconf automake libtool sudo port select --set python python27
Please make sure that the version of python used is the one from MacPorts
by adding /opt/local/bin first in your path.
This depends on your shell. For bash:
export PATH=/opt/local/bin:$PATH
In some shells you might have to do a rehash:
rehash

You would have to install a compiler
(Xcode) with gcc
preferibile (currently clang compiler support is experimental)
and a Java 8 virtual machine separately
as well.

If you are building with Gasgano support (not the default),
you have to install the Java development kit and make it known to the
installation procedure with this extra command:
export JAVA_HOME=/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/
OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Scisoft 7.7 or greater.
Scisoft is a collection of software that includes all
the prerequisites. It is officially supported only for Fedora 11.
Consult the webpage for installation instructions.

For Mac users there is an unofficial port that can be downloaded from
scisoftosx.
Note also that python and wxpython have to be installed additionally,
since Scisoft for Mac does not include them.

Individual package installation.
If you still need to install the dependencies manually because your operating system distribution does not contains them, this is the list of packages to install:

Installation procedure

The recommended installation procedure is to use the MacPorts repository for
the Apple OS X 10.9 platform or newer (see instructions here). For Fedora platforms it is recommended to use
the yum/dnf repository ( (see instructions here).
In all other cases the install_esoreflex
script is the recommented way by following these instructions:

Execute the installation script. This will install Reflex, the supported
pipelines and demo data.
The script will ask for an installation directory
(install_dir) as well as the download and data directories.
./install_esoreflex
If the software prerequisites are not met the script will fail,
or in the case of optional packages (python modules) it will prompt
whether you want to continue. If this happens,
go to Software prerequisites and
follow those instructions.

Execute Reflex:
install_dir/bin/esoreflex

This script will allow to install the pipelines with available workflows
as well as Reflex itself. It requires an Internet connection, since it
retrieves all the packages directly from the net. Please read section
Software prerequisites to make sure
that you have the needed software before running the script.
The script will detect if there is any missing software,
but it won't attempt to install it.

The script also has limited support for reinstallation of software
if new versions of the pipelines or Reflex are available.

Manual Installation of all the software

This installation procedure installs the pipeline and the workflow first, and
then Reflex is used on top of an existing pipeline installation. It is a more
advanced setup and therefore it is recommended only for advanced users.

Download and make a regular installation of the pipeline. Note that if you already have an installed version which includes the workflow, it is also possible to use it.

Make sure that esorex can access the uves recipes using the following command:
esorex --recipes

If you have run Reflex in the same machine and account where another
Reflex installation was previously made, you might have to remove directories
~/KeplerData and ~/.kepler to clean the cache.

Running Reflex

We recommend to read the tutorials prepared to sucessfully execute the
workflows in a matter of minutes. It can be
downloaded from this table under column "Documentation".
For more detailed information, you can read the pipeline
user manual which can also be downloaded from the same
table.

Bug Reports

If you experience an unexpected behavior of any component of Reflex or the pipeline
recipes package, please, first refer to the list of known problems and limitations
in the workflow tutorial, the pipeline manual, or the Reflex user manual, in this order.